The ice-blue dragon egg lay quietly on the crystal platform.
The cracks on its surface seemed more numerous and deeper than before.
But that faint fluctuation of life seemed to have vanished.
Had the thrilling confrontation just now exhausted its last shred of vitality?
Linn's heart sank abruptly.
No way?
I fought tooth and nail.
And now you're telling me you're done for?
No, you have to hold on a little longer.
Refusing to believe it, Linn reached out again, cautiously touching the stone egg.
The feeling upon contact was still icy and hard.
But this time, Linn sensed a slight difference.
Beneath the deathly cold, there seemed to be a hint of warmth, extremely faint, almost undetectable.
It was like an unyielding ember buried deep beneath ten thousand years of ice.
Linn slowly injected Ice Magic into his palm.
He wanted to see if there would be any reaction.
However, nothing happened.
The dragon egg was like a stubborn stone, completely unresponsive to his power.
"Damn it."
Linn couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Was it really hopeless?
Linn recalled the previous moments.
It seemed that the dragon flame aura and magic within the valyrian steel sword had saved his life.
Thinking of this.
Linn pressed the steel sword against the dragon egg.
This time, he not only mobilized the Ice Magic but also simultaneously infused the dragon flame aura into it.
Ice and fire.
Two completely opposing forces were injected into the petrified dragon egg at the same time.
At this very moment.
The anomaly occurred again!
The ice-blue stone egg trembled violently!
Immediately afterward, the dragon scale patterns on its surface began to erupt with dazzling light!
It was no longer the faint, flickering light from before.
Instead, it was a searing, golden-red radiance that seemed capable of illuminating the entire cavern!
"Ooom—!"
A powerful life pulsation burst forth from within the stone egg!
That pulsation was filled with unmatchable majesty!
The temperature inside the cavern began to rise at an astonishing speed.
The platform carved out of ice crystals began to melt.
The frost on the walls also turned into water droplets, dripping onto the ground.
Toren, Jason, and the others were startled by the sudden change and retreated repeatedly.
They watched the glowing stone egg in horror.
They felt as if they were facing an erupting volcano.
Only Linn stood still, rooted to the spot.
His face was filled with ecstasy!
He could feel it!
Inside that stone egg.
The life that had slept for millions of years.
Was awakening!
He had succeeded!
He had successfully activated this petrified dragon egg!
By a strange twist of fate, he had simulated the legendary "ice and fire" conditions required to activate a dragon egg!
Although the dragon egg had not truly hatched yet, it was no longer a dead stone.
It was alive!
As long as it lived, the day would come when it broke out of its shell!
However, Linn now had another headache: the conditions for hatching a true dragon were even stricter, requiring blood, and different types of blood... When Daenerys hatched her dragons, she needed the blood of a wise man (the witch Mirri), kings blood (Khal Drogo), and true dragon blood (herself or her unborn child).
Who should he find to hatch it?
Should he hitch a ride with Daenerys?
Good idea.
But Daenerys was too far away.
Who for the blood of a wise man?
Grabbing anyone from The Citadel should work, right?
Robert's kings blood would certainly work; he was an undisputed king, but that would be difficult.
However, his son Joffrey should also work.
As for true dragon blood, Linn's first thought was Jon... Currently, the only people with Old Valyria blood remaining were Maester Aemon, Jon, Daenerys, and Viserys.
But would it work? After all, Daenerys had the rare 'Unburnt' bloodline... It seemed he needed to plan this carefully.
The light gradually faded.
The dragon egg returned to its ice-blue color.
But it was no longer cold.
Linn could clearly feel a continuous, strong, and powerful heartbeat emanating from within it into his palm.
As well as a thought of intense closeness, reverence, and reliance.
It... saw him as its mother?
Chickens and ducks were the same way.
This was truly possible.
Linn's expression turned a little strange.
He didn't have Targaryen blood; he probably wouldn't be able to command the dragon once it hatched, right?
Forget it, he could only take things one step at a time for now.
Thinking of this, Linn's anxiety lessened considerably.
After calming down, Arya also looked at the dragon egg curiously.
She just didn't notice that Nymeria, who was at her feet, had tucked her tail between her legs...
"My Lord..."
Toren's trembling voice pulled Linn's thoughts back.
"This... a dragon egg?"
Linn withdrew his hand and carefully picked up the now warm dragon egg from the crystal platform.
He looked at Toren and the other soldiers whose faces were filled with terror, and took a deep breath.
He knew it was no longer possible to hide this secret.
Moreover, he needed these men to guard this secret, which was powerful enough to overturn the entire world.
"That's right."
"It has come alive."
Linn raised the dragon egg in his hand.
"It is the ultimate weapon we will use to fight the Long Night and burn away all darkness."
Everyone gasped sharply.
This fossilized dragon egg could actually conceive a dragon!
Their faces showed expressions even more shocked than when they had seen the wights moments before.
A dragon!
That was the mythical creature exclusive to the Targaryen Family!
The ancestors of the Targaryen Family were Valyria people.
The Valyria people mastered fire magic and could ride dragons, these powerful magical creatures!
And the Targaryen Family was the last lineage possessing Valyria blood, a bloodline that allowed them to also ride dragons!
And their commander had actually found a fossilized dragon egg?
And seemed capable of hatching it?
This... this was simply too bizarre!
The way all the soldiers looked at Linn changed completely.
If before, they held respect and trust for Linn.
Now, it was fanaticism!
A man who could receive guidance from the old gods, and even revive a legendary dragon egg.
He was no ordinary mortal.
He was an emissary sent by the old gods to save them, to save the entire North!
"My Lord!"
Toren was the first to drop to one knee, holding his longsword across his chest, and speaking in a tone of extreme devotion:
"I, Toren, swear before the old gods, that I will follow you forever, until death!"
"We swear to follow My Lord until death!"
The Northern Guardsmen behind him also simultaneously dropped to one knee.
The Rangers of the Nights Watch exchanged glances.
"We swear before the Seven Gods, that we will follow My Lord forever!"
Their voices were filled with fervent loyalty.
Arya stared blankly at the scene.
A sudden, inexplicable feeling of pride welled up in her heart.
Linn watched the scene before him, his heart also surging with emotion.
From this moment on, this team belonged entirely to him.
They were no longer just his subordinates.
They were more like his followers!
"Rise, all of you."
Linn helped Toren to his feet and spoke to the others.
Then, Linn carefully wrapped the dragon egg in a soft animal hide and held it tightly in his arms.
"It's time for us to leave."
Linn's gaze swept over the murals in the cavern that documented the history of the Long Night.
"But before we leave, there is one more thing we must do."
He looked at Toren.
"Burn this place down for me!"
"Burn it?"
Toren was stunned for a moment.
"That's right."
A cold, sharp light flashed in Linn's eyes.
Clearly, he was still furious about being "ambushed" earlier.
Although he had benefited greatly from the misfortune.
That was not enough to quell his anger.
If it hadn't been for the system's novice protection protocol, he would have died long ago!
If he had died, Arya would have married someone else.
Thinking of this, the fury in Linn's eyes intensified.
Damn it.
"No matter who this altar worships."
"And no matter what secrets are hidden within it."
"I just want it to completely disappear from this world!"
"As you command, My Lord!"
Toren no longer had any questions and immediately led the men to carry out the order.
They carried half the lamp oil they had with them into the cavern.
Then, they lit the hemp rope at the entrance.
The lamp oil covered the entire cavern.
As the oil ignited, fierce flames roared inside!
Linn stood far away, holding the dragon egg in his arms, and watched the sea of fire indifferently.
There was no expression on his face.
But he was sneering internally.
Didn't you want to use this dragon egg as a trap?
Now, the egg belongs to me.
And your altar is gone.
I'd like to see what tricks you have left.
Just as Linn turned to leave.
An aura filled with endless malice locked onto him from afar.
As if a pair of invisible eyes were staring intently at him from the darkness.
And at the dragon egg in his arms.
Linn paused his steps.
He did not look back.
He merely curled his lips into a provocative smirk.
The Night King is still thousands of miles away from here; if you dare, teleport right next to me!
At most, you'll send some underlings to harass me.
I have a valyrian steel sword!
Want to steal the dragon egg?
Then come and try!